State Roundup, June 27, 2014

DEMOCRATS MAKE UP:Democrat Anthony G. Brown took the stage at a Democratic unity event Thursday night and planted a kiss squarely on his former political rival, Del. Heather Mizeur, writes Erin Cox in the Sun. It was, after all, a “kiss and make up” party to mend the wounds from the long and acrimonious Democratic primary, which ended in Brown’s landslide victory Tuesday night.The candidates who had the most making up to do, however, never shared the stage. Attorney General Doug Gansler was missing.

As hard as it was for some of them, the four Republicans who had run against each other for governor put on a show of unity Thursday night, with the three losers supporting winner Larry Hogan in an event organized by the state – See more at: http://marylandreporter.com/#sthash.nN6xOK0O.dpuf

There’s a reason the Anthony Brown and the drones at the Maryland Democratic Party are ginning up faux outrage over one photo in Larry Hogan’s “Most Incompetent Man” attack ad. And one graph explains it, blogs Mark Mewgent at Red Maryland.

TIGHT ARUNDEL RACES: Eric Knowles has conceded to Don Quinn in the race for state Senate in District 30, but the county council race in district 5 between Michael Peroutka and Maureen Carr-York is still too close to call, Rema Rahman reports in the Capital.

CHARLES COUNTY: Del. Peter Murphy felt good heading into Tuesday’s primary election that his campaign for Charles County commissioners’ president had a appealed to voters, but he said he never expected to walk away from his race against current commissioners’ Vice President Reuben B. Collins II with a double-digit victory, writes Jeff Newman for the Charles County Independent, along with more on the Charles County races.

BALTIMORE MAYOR STEPS IN IT: Asked to comment yesterday on her aide’s hiring of a neighbor to a $60,000 position at the minority business development center, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake responded with her own set of questions.

“He was a neighbor? That is relevant because?” writes Mark Reutter in Baltimore Brew. This was the mayor’s first public response to a Brew article describing how the top positions at a newly created minority business center were filled by partners in a failed hotel scheme – one of whom, David Mosley, lives next door to Sharon Pinder, director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development.

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Bill to hike minimum wage heads to Gov. Hogan’s desk as he promises ‘careful review’ of legislation he has said could devastate Maryland economy; senators moved forward on a $46.6 billion budget plan; Speaker Busch promises legislation to overhaul UMMS board of directors as UMMS leaders meet with top officials and promise changes to restore confidence in board; Mayor Pugh returns $100,000 to UMMS, calls inquiry into book deal a ‘witch hunt,’ refuses to show tax documents; Senate also approves bill setting new goals on state use of clean energy; despite its ban on fracking, Maryland has become a gateway to move fracked gas around the world; Green, Libertarian parties lose state recognition; and if state funds come through, construction of Laurel ‘super track’ could begin in fall.